Quote Stuff...

Things you need to know:
 

an excerpt from the book "Dumbing Down our Kids" by educator Charles Sykes

        (also know as "Bill Gates - 11 Rules for Living")

I.    Thinking about buying a new computer?

How to Buy a New PC

Computer Buyers Guide (from Shelley Cashman)

II.    Learn to find things on the WWW?

How To:

Beginning with a small amount of background knowledge and a little effort - anyone can find relevant and useful research data on the Internet.

Web Searching Tips
 

Where to Begin:

Below you'll find a handful of useful links to various search engines.  Be sure to spread your search across a number of engines to get a full view of what is available.  (You might start off with a meta search engine.)  Start general and get more specific by adding more keywords to your search. (Check the searching tips above.)

Search Engines

Critical Thinking:

You need to evaluate what you find on the web as to its usefulness and value.

Critical thinkers distinguish between fact and opinion; ask questions; make detailed observations; uncover assumptions and define their terms; and make assertions based on sound logic and solid evidence.

                                            -- Ellis, D. Becoming a Master Student, 1997

Critical Thinking Tips:

•     Be skeptical - ask lots of questions
•     Evaluate the site hosting the page

eg.  .com - possible profit motive,
               .edu - ego driven opinions or learning-based facts
               .gov - possible political influence

•     Evaluate the author - what is their expertise in this area?
•     Identify bias - Ask why was this page written?
•     Recognize the difference between facts and opinions
•     Are facts correct? - source is accurate (corroborate with other sources)
•     Are many facts consistently correct? - source is reliable (use as a base source of data)
•     Consider the timeliness of the information - this scale will vary in each situation
•     Look for a professional web page with no misspellings or grammar errors
•     Avoid personal web pages that are breeding grounds for faulty logic and biased opinions

    A great tutorial by John R. Henderson (jhenderson@ithaca.edu)

A Guide to Critical Thinking About What You See on the Web

III.    Learn to communicate with email:

"A Beginner's Guide to Effective email"

IV.    Learn to make better presentations:

Tips for Effective Presentations
 

How to Get Your Point Across in a Presentation
 

Classes I currently teach:

CIS212  - Introduction to Computer Information Systems

Classes I have taught in the past:

 

100 Level:	Introduction to Word Processing
200 Level:	Introduction to Computer Information Systems  Business Applications of Microcomputers

Things I'm interested in:

• Groupware

• Business on the Internet (E-Commerce)

• Data Privacy Issues

• Interesting Quotations

• Festival of the Bluegrass 1999

• Festival of the Bluegrass 2000

• Festival of the Bluegrass 2001 - these pictures were confiscated by the police while being developed - the legal case is still pending

• Festival of the Bluegrass 2002

• And of course, there is my son Justin

Contact me:

Contact me via Email: mike dot hawksley    (please forgive the spam avoidance spelling)
                                        at eku dot edu

last updated January 19, 2005